'Blood Sacrifice' Netflix Review: Swedish Crime Thriller Almost Goes Full ACAB

Blood Sacrifice almost goes full ACAB with its serial cop-killer narrative and even though it tries to say that cops are humans too, I think it gets the message across that every police department needs a complete overhaul because they are not alright. Creator George Kay and director Kristoffer Nyholm take us to Stockholm, Sweden where a 112 operator gets a distress call about a home invasion. Patrol officers David Rolander and Helene Bengtsson responded to the call. While Helene remained outside, David went into the house to check out what was wrong. A few moments later, Helene rushed in because David was calling for her help. Moments later, we learned that both David and Helene have been mercilessly killed; they have been decapitated and their headless bodies have been positioned in such a way that it seems like the killer is performing some kind of a ritual. Detective Thomas Berg, along with Natalie Eklund, John-Jo Persson, Max Abrahamsson, and the rest of the department start working on finding this cop killer. They hit one dead after another, which prompts Thomas to reconnect with his estranged dad, who also happens to be a disgraced former cop, Alfred Berg. Alfred points Thomas in the direction of Marina Jonsson, a patrol officer who was killed in Söderhamn and a security guard named Viktor Falk was blamed for it. That brings Thomas to the realization that the serial cop-killer is using the voice recording of his latest victim to make a distress call, luring in his latest victim, and repeating the process. To what end? Well, that’s what forms the crux of the narrative.

Blood Sacrifice is essentially divided into two sections: there’s the personal stories of the cops and then there’s the larger commentary on the systemic corruption of the police as a profession. And through this, I suppose Kay is trying to ask us if we, as a society, are willing to turn a blind eye towards the rot in the system just because these police officers and detectives are also human beings. When cops make a mistake and end up putting people in jail for decades for the sake of a promotion, they don’t need to think about the family or personal ambitions of that person who has been falsely accused. But when people go after a corrupt cop, their history of professionalism and the fact that they have a wife and child are brought up. I think what Kay is trying to say is that nonsense isn’t working anymore. People are waking up and realizing that cops are inherently debauched; and if cops don’t get their act straight, it’s only a matter of time when they will find themselves in the middle of a great reckoning. As someone who does think that cops get too much credit for what they do, and get too much leeway for all the acts of injustice that they commit, I fully agree with the show’s ACAB themes. I even lowkey support the antagonist for putting the fear of god in all those cops and detectives. However, I have to say that all that stuff kind of gets diluted because Kay spends way too much time on the mystery-solving and father-son trauma-bonding aspects of the story.

Due to the storytelling structure of Blood Sacrifice, you do feel the exhausting nature of this case. But since the repetitive nature of the kills don’t really reveal anything new about the characters in question, the viewing experience gets boring. I will say that Kay doesn’t make the cops too sympathetic; even the therapy sequences are downright scary. In fact, after the revelation of the antagonist’s MO, any empathy that you have generated for the protagonists kind of disappears. However, I’m afraid the time dedicated to fleshing out the protagonists versus the time dedicated to fleshing out the antagonist is going to sway the skeptics enough to keep them on the pro-cop aisle instead of bringing them to the realization that every section of law enforcement needs to be cleansed. From a visual storytelling point of view, Nyholm and his crew aren’t doing much. Yeah, everything looks crisp and colorful. The production design, costume design, art direction, hair-and-makeup design, the sound design, the score, the macabre props, the cinematography, and even the editing are good. But do they come together in a way that will make this show stand out amongst the barrage of Scandinoir shows and movies on Netflix? I doubt it. You can clearly see the places where Nyholm could have made things interesting, especially due to the graphic nature of the crimes, but in a very weird way, he plays it safe; which does make me wonder if Nyholm and Kay were at odds about how ACAB they wanted the show to be. Minor spoiler maybe, but yeah, I did not like how overly convenient and saccharine that ending is.

The performances in Blood Sacrifice are great across the board. Jakob Oftebro portrays his characters insecurities, overconfidence, and stoicism really well. He underplays all of his emotions, which is why when he finally breaks down, it hits you hard. Peter Andersson is fantastic as this grizzled, obnoxious, and grumpy ex-cop. He does a great job of highlighting the unlikability of this man. Electra Hallman is essentially the third lead of the show and she is absolutely brilliant from start to finish. Even though we don’t get to see a lot about her personal life, Hallman lets you know what makes her character tick. Henrik Norlén is amazing and it is fascinating to see how subtly he evolves his character from indifferent to dedicated. Alexander Abdallah is splendid. He exudes empathy, thereby making it clear that his character is in the wrong profession. Without giving anything anyway, yeah, it is Magnus Krepper who steals the show. He gets one whole episode to flex his acting muscles and he undoubtedly knocks it out of the park. Listette T. Pagler, Anders Mossling, Jakob Falhstedt, and the rest of the supporting cast are all aces in my book. So, yeah, if that sounds like a recommendation, give it a watch. Even though the chances are low, I do hope that this gets greenlit for a second season because there are a couple of plot threads that deserve to be resolved in a gruesome and diabolical manner. And, folks, always remember that cops are not your friends, they are an arm of the regime that’s always seeking to silence and oppress you. Their salaries are paid with your taxes; so, make sure that they are held accountable for their actions.